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Democrats ready to hit panic button in Trump-Biden race
The Hill ^ | - 03/06/24 6:00 AM ET | BY ALEXANDER BOLTON

Posted on 03/07/2024 6:04:23 AM PST by Red Badger

Democrats are beginning to hit the panic button as an implosion in former President Trump’s campaign fails to materialize and a series of polls suggests President Biden is weaker than he was four years ago.

Biden is trailing Trump in polls of several battleground states, underscoring concerns that his message isn’t gaining traction with swing voters.

Many Democrats thought Trump’s legal problems would submarine him, but the Supreme Court in a unanimous decision on Monday ruled in his favor on a 14th Amendment case. Other high-profile trials have been delayed, raising doubts about whether they will reach verdicts before Election Day.

Steve Jarding, a Democratic strategist and former adviser to the Senate Democrats’ campaign arm, said Democratic lawmakers “should” be worried about the emerging political picture.

“If you’re Donald Trump and his team, you go, ‘Wow, I’ll take this any day of the week,’” he said, comparing Trump’s relatively strong political position with Biden’s faltering effort to get his message out to voters.

A Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll published last week showed Biden trailing Trump in several critical states, including Arizona, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, North Carolina, Nevada and Wisconsin.

In those states, 48 percent of voters said they would back Trump, while 43 percent said they would back Biden.

Democrats heard another alarm bell over the weekend when a New York Times/Siena College poll showed Trump leading Biden 48 percent to 43 percent among registered voters nationwide.

The survey showed a majority of voters think the economy is in poor shape, and 47 percent of voters strongly disapprove of Biden’s job performance, the highest such disapproval rating of any point in his presidency measured by Times/Siena polling.

Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) said the latest poll numbers are concerning, and he decried a separate decision by the Supreme Court to postpone ruling on Trump’s legal immunity claims to the summer as “outrageous.”

“We’re concerned. This is going to be a tough race, but it hasn’t really begun yet, so a lot of the coverage is just about Biden’s age, not about his policies,” he said. “The president is going to get out on the stump and he’s going to have an opportunity to show he’s got the energy as well as the intellect and the acuity to do the job.”

Welch acknowledged that “in retrospect” it was a mistake for Biden to pass up doing an interview with CBS news ahead of the Super Bowl, which would have allowed him to reach a huge national audience.

“In retrospect, it would have been good to do the Super Bowl interview, throw a few deep passes into the end zone,” he said.

On the economy, Welch said the economic indicators are “solid” but people are “feeling some anxiety” about making ends meet when they pay the grocery bills.

But one of the biggest disappointments Welch and other Democrats have concerns the Supreme Court’s decision to not take up Trump’s assertion that he is immune from prosecution on charges related to his efforts to hold on to power after the 2020 election. The delay could put off some of Trump’s legal challenges until after the election.

“That’s outrageous. There’s no excuse for that,” Welch said of the Supreme Court’s decision to hear the immunity claims in late April, after the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals resoundingly rejected Trump’s arguments.

Asked if any of the high-profile criminal cases will adjudicated before Election Day, Welch said: “I’m not counting on them one way or another.”

“The decision that I think is the most glaring, egregious and wrong is the Supreme Court delay on the special prosecutor trial” over allegations that Trump tried to stop the peaceful transfer of power on Jan. 6, 2021, Welch said.

Democrats suffered another blow Monday when the Supreme Court ruled 9-0 in a 14th Amendment case brought from Colorado, which in turn affects similar efforts in Maine and Illinois to remove Trump from the ballot.

Trump and his allies in Congress celebrated the decision as a major victory and tried to use it as ammunition against his opponents.

David Axelrod, a former senior political adviser to President Obama, observed on CNN that Trump’s court battles have given him the opportunity to sell his strength as a candidate.

“All these indictments, all of these lawsuits and so on, have given him a chance to look indomitable, look strong, look resilient, and that’s actually in some ways helped,” he said.

While Democrats generally expected the Supreme Court to rule to keep Trump on the ballot, the unanimous decision underscored how weak the legal arguments were against the former president.

The bigger concern for Democrats is that the criminal cases brought against Trump by special counsel Jack Smith in Washington and Miami and by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis in Georgia are stuck in limbo and may not be resolved by Election Day.

Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (Ill.) over the weekend lamented the Supreme Court’s decision not to hear the arguments on Trump’s immunity claims as “a disappointment.”

“Their delay in considering this critical issue, this timely issue, is going to delay the resolution of these cases by months at least,” he predicted on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

Durbin on Tuesday insisted the presidential race “is far from over” even though “a lot of people in the press are trying to announce it’s over.”

He noted that Democratic pollster Cornell Belcher briefed Senate Democrats about the national political landscape last week.

“I think we have a good candidate and a good story to tell,” he said, though he acknowledged that Democrats need to improve their political messaging to change voters’ view of Biden’s job performance and the economy.

“We have to do a better job, and we certainly have the facts to turn to,” he said. “We have a good story, a record of accomplishment and time to deliver it.”

But when pressed about why Democrats still haven’t gotten their message to resonate with voters after declaring for more than a year they had a great story to tell, Durbin exclaimed: “It’s too early!”

“People who want this done in March: Come on!” he said.

On Tuesday, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.), an independent who counts toward the Democratic majority, announced she will not run for reelection.

Polls showed Sinema trailing Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego (Ariz.) and former news anchor Kari Lake (R) in a three-way race, but her departure may give Republicans a better chance of winning the seat.

“With recent polling showing Kyrsten Sinema pulling far more Republican voters than Democratic voters, her decision to retire improves Kari Lake’s opportunity to flip this seat,” National Republican Senatorial Committee Chair Steve Daines (Mont.) said in response to Sinema’s announcement.

Daines and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) scored recruiting coups in recent weeks by persuading popular former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) to run for retiring Sen. Ben Cardin’s (D-Md.) seat and multimillionaire banker Eric Hovde to challenge Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D) in Wisconsin.

The Senate Majority PAC, a super PAC aligned with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), showed Democrats are taking the threat to Baldwin seriously by announcing it would pour $2 million into advertising to paint Hovde as a “third-rate banker from California” and an “out-of-touch carpetbagger.”

Ross K. Baker, a professor emeritus of political science at Rutgers University, who has served several Senate fellowships, said the political picture is looking bleak for the Democrats but argued they still have a lot of time to change the political dynamic.

“The president has not presented particularly well. He’s showing his age. The Senate map is very unfavorable to the Democrats,” he said.

He observed that while Democrats have a strong economy to tout, voters continue to view the economy negatively because of higher prices, even though unemployment has stayed near record lows and the rate of inflation is falling.

“Voters seem to focus on the data the least favorable to Democrats and emphasize that and tend to diminish the things that are in the works that will have a pretty substantial benefit on the American economy,” he said.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Front Page News; Government; Politics/Elections
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1 posted on 03/07/2024 6:04:23 AM PST by Red Badger
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To: Red Badger

Translation - Our lies are no longer working.


2 posted on 03/07/2024 6:08:01 AM PST by CIB-173RDABN (I am not an expert in anything, and my opinion is just that, an opinion. I may be wrong.)
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To: Red Badger

This is all Biden gaslighting, readying his response when his election steal kicks in.

Smirking broadly, “The voters still like me.”


3 posted on 03/07/2024 6:08:25 AM PST by Liz (This then is how we should pray: Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. )
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To: Red Badger

Bump.


4 posted on 03/07/2024 6:10:11 AM PST by gov_bean_ counter (Eccl 10:2 - The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left )
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To: Red Badger

Biden’s message? It appears to be one hand flipping us the bird and the other pointing a gun at us (the illegal invasion and other destructive agendas).

Yes, that’s what voters want!

/s


5 posted on 03/07/2024 6:12:47 AM PST by Disambiguator
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To: Red Badger

Stolen Elections have consequences.

We want, nay demand, the Diamonds back.


6 posted on 03/07/2024 6:13:47 AM PST by C210N (Mundus vult decipi, ergo decipiatur.)
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To: All

WHISTLING DIXIE-—David Axelrod, Obama’s former senior political adviser, observed that Trump’s Biden-induced court battles have given Biden “an opportunity to sell his (gag) strength as a candidate.”

LAUGH BREAK “All these Biden-get Trump indictments, the lawsuits against Trump, and so on, have given Biden a chance to look “indomitable,” look “strong,” look “resilient,” and that’s actually in some ways helped”.


7 posted on 03/07/2024 6:16:42 AM PST by Liz (This then is how we should pray: Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. )
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To: Red Badger

Biden will never be the Democrat nominee when the polls open next Fall. He will either suffer a (Democrat-induced) heart attack (or some other “accident”), Jill will pull him out of the race, or Joe finally admits he’s not fit for office.


8 posted on 03/07/2024 6:20:21 AM PST by econjack
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To: Liz

“This is all Biden gaslighting, readying his response when his election steal kicks in.”

Yep, still not seeing any indictments for the theft of the 2020 election.


9 posted on 03/07/2024 6:20:56 AM PST by Let's Roll ("You can avoid reality, but you cannot avoid the consequences of avoiding reality" -- Ayn Rand)
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To: Red Badger

If the DungHill is reporting it, its worse than they are saying.
Anti-Trump didn’t work.
Lawfare seems to be failing.
Blocking Trump from states was a huge failure.
The DNC doesn’t seem to want a brokered convention.

All they have left is voter fraud.


10 posted on 03/07/2024 6:24:13 AM PST by Zathras
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To: econjack

HE/She can’t allow that.

The entire family is one big RICO outfit.

HE MUST STAY IN OFFICE AT ALL COSTS, AND I DO MEAN ALL COSTS!.

As long as he has the Power of Pardon, they are safe.

Once he loses that, all bets are off..................


11 posted on 03/07/2024 6:24:14 AM PST by Red Badger (Homeless veterans camp in the streets while illegals are put up in 5 Star hotels....................)
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To: CIB-173RDABN

Translation: Crank voter fraud up to 11.

(Yes that is a Spinal Tap Reference)


12 posted on 03/07/2024 6:24:33 AM PST by suasponte137
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To: Red Badger

Again? They had four years to do something besides cover their tracks from 2020 and arrest the complaining interests.


13 posted on 03/07/2024 6:26:57 AM PST by blackdog ((Z28.310) Be careful what you say. Your refrigerator may be listening & reporting you.)
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To: All

Liberal Reporter Notices Something Odd About Cali’s Dem Primary
Risks being called “election denier” by progressives
Townhall ^ | 7 Mar, 2024 | Matt Vespa
Posted on 3/7/2024, 4:20:43 AM by MtnClimber

“It’s a little past 2:30 in the morning as I’m writing this post, and the California Democratic primary, held last night, only has 50 percent of the total results counted. Isn’t that disconcerting? In the United Kingdom, the general elections, which have 650 parliamentary elections, are all counted that night. Our British cousins know which government will be elected or not on the same day.”

Advertisement Liberal reporter Michael Tracey posted over 10 hours ago about how this slow pace was disconcerting, mocking the progressive Left by noting his comments would make him an “election denier.” From roughly 5 PM yesterday afternoon to 9:41 PM, the latest tranche of votes was counted via The New York Times. The primary vote percentage counted in that period went from 45 percent to 50 percent. It hasn’t been updated since.

“The slow pace is mostly due to the “deluge of mail-in ballots,” (the Dem-approved voter fraud MO) which produced an avalanche of media stories about why California will be dragging its feet in tabulating all the votes. Still, it is a full day, and they barely reach 50 percent as we approach 3 AM here.”


14 posted on 03/07/2024 6:30:14 AM PST by Liz (This then is how we should pray: Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. )
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To: Red Badger

BTTT


15 posted on 03/07/2024 6:31:38 AM PST by nopardons
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To: CIB-173RDABN

It’s hard to convince people to feel good about the low national unemployment rate when they are already fully employed but still can’t make ends meet without running up their credit cards at 29% interest. That’s what escapes these imbeciles like the professor, who has never had to deal with short rations himself. Explain to these voters why they should be grateful that prices are still getting worse but just not as fast as they were.


16 posted on 03/07/2024 6:35:11 AM PST by hinckley buzzard ( Resist the narrative. )
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To: Red Badger

This is an extremely dangerous situation because they are panicking and desperate. They will resort to anything.


17 posted on 03/07/2024 6:38:17 AM PST by laplata (They want each crisis to take the greatest toll possible.)
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To: Red Badger
Democrats are always one nano second away from clinical hysteria. It's their default mode
18 posted on 03/07/2024 6:38:50 AM PST by SMARTY ("A lie which is half a truth is ever the blackest of lies." Tennyson)
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To: Liz

19 posted on 03/07/2024 6:40:59 AM PST by Red Badger (Homeless veterans camp in the streets while illegals are put up in 5 Star hotels....................)
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To: Red Badger

“Democrats ready to hit panic button in Trump-Biden race”

Bull crap. I’ll bet they are busy refining and developing new ways to steal the 2024 elections like they did in 2020.


20 posted on 03/07/2024 6:41:26 AM PST by antidemoncrat
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